LAKEMBA AND SAVU-SAVU. 185 
the island. Here David Whippy, acting as the “ Maticum Ambau,” 
obtained for them all kinds of provisions, and, by his exertions all 
night in superintending the cooking, they were prevented from being 
delayed the next day. Whippy told me that this island held a medium 
between mbati and ygali to Ambau, being not exactly in that state of 
servitude that the last would imply, nor yet as free as the first. 
Nairai is famous for its manufactures of mats, baskets, &c., a large 
trade in which is carried on throughout the group by exchanges. 
The reef extends from the island four miles northward, and, where 
it ends, turns for a short distance to the westward. There are a few 
patches of rock on its western side, but none farther from it than half 
a mile. This is the reef on which the Flying-Fish struck on entering 
the group, and where she came near being lost. It does not join the 
island, but is connected with the Mothea, or Eliza Reef; and there is, 
between it and the island, a good ship channel, leading to the large 
bay of Corobamba. On the eastern side of this bay, there is safe 
anchorage, in thirteen fathoms water, with a white sandy bottom. 
The reef, extending as it does to the southward for a long distance, 
protects it from the sea in that direction. A broad passage leads from 
Corobamba to the southward, and then passes between Cobu and 
Nairai to the southwest pass through the reef. The only danger is a 
small coral patch, lying east-southeast, a mile from the south end of 
the island, and a mile north of Cobu Rock. 
The town of Corobamba lies at the bottom of the bay, and is next 
in size to Toaloa. The Cobu Rock isa singular one. It is inacces- 
sible on three sides, of volcanic formation, and is enclosed by the 
Mothea Reef, which here spreads to the width of about three miles, 
and extends four miles farther south, where it forms a rounded point. 
The eastern side is an unbroken reef, but the western is somewhat 
irregular and broken, with many openings for boats. 
Lieutenant Underwood ascended the Cobu Rock, for the purpose of 
obtaining angles; and, after observing these with his instrument, turn- 
ing to take the compass’s bearing, discovered a remarkable effect of 
local attraction. So great was this, as to cause a deviation of thirteen 
and a quarter points; Nairai, which was directly to the north, bearing, 
by compass, southeast-by-south one quarter south, while, what was 
quite remarkable, at the foot of the rock, near the water, the same 
compass gave the bearing north, agreeing with that taken from the 
opposite bearing on Point Musilana. 
They next fixed the southern point of Mothea Reef. This has 
obtained the name of the Eliza Reef, from the loss of the brig of that 
name in 1809. On that occasion a large amount of dollars fell into 
VOL, III. 24 
